Alumni Awards

Pomona College Alumni Awards

Each year, the Alumni Association bestows the following awards on alumni and faculty for their unique, remarkable achievements.

If you would like to nominate an alumnus/a for an Alumni Award, please submit your nomination using the selections below:

The Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award

The Blaisdell Award, one of the most prestigious awards given to Pomona alumni, recognizes individuals for their high achievement in their professions or community service. These are alumni who have carried the spirit of the College beyond the Gates and lived up to President James A. Blaisdell's inscribed words: "They only are loyal to this college who departing bear their added riches in trust for mankind."

Recipients of this award are selected by a committee of Past Alumni Board Presidents.

The Awards Committee shall name the award winners following a confidential process that does not share information about nominees or outcomes. The Committee and the Alumni Association do not respond to nominations or provide any explanation for the process of the Committee. In addition, the Committee may choose to select from current year nominations or past years’ nominations.

Please note, special consideration is given to nominees whose class is in an anniversary reunion year. For 2024, that includes all classes ending in 4s or 9s.

Blaisdell Award Winners

2023: Linda Alvarado ’73, Michelle Williams Court ’88 and Peter Shelton ’73

Past Recipients

The Alumni Distinguished Service Award

Established in 1990 and inaugurated in 1991, the Alumni Distinguished Service Award is bestowed annually to an alumnus or alumna in recognition of that person’s direct selfless commitment and ongoing volunteer service to Pomona College.

The purpose of this award is to pay tribute to an alumnus or alumna for unheralded, selfless and direct service to the College, in evidence over a period of years. Every effort is made to seek a recipient who has not otherwise been already honored and care is given to select worthy candidates from Pomona’s vast alumni body, with first consideration given to those who have not served in the Alumni Association’s highest leadership positions, as trustees, faculty or staff of Pomona.

A committee of Past Presidents of the Pomona College Alumni Association Board selects the award recipient(s).

Please note, special consideration is given to nominees whose class is in an anniversary reunion year. For 2024, that includes all classes ending in 4s or 9s.

Distinguished Service Award Winners

2023: Ann Rose Davie ’58

Past Recipients

The Inspirational Young Alumni Award

The Inspirational Young Alumni Award honors a young alumnus or alumna (a graduate within the last decade) in recognition of their dedication, perseverance, and consistency in following the inscription on the College Gates: “They only are loyal to this college who departing bear their added riches in trust for mankind.” 

Past Recipients

  • 2016: Marlies Talay ’10
  • 2015: Jessica Ladd '08
  • 2014: Lt. Francine Segovia '04
  • 2013: Maggie Fick '07
  • 2012: Elena Shih '04
  • 2011: Jane Chen '00
  • 2010: Maia Sophia Campbell '01
  • 2009: Melvin Yee '00
  • 2008: Janelle Lin '00
  • 2007: Maria Luz Garcia '01
  • 2006: Emily Arnold-Fernandez '99
  • 2005: Enriqueta Ramirez '00
  • 2004: David Holmes '97
  • 2003: Cuc Vu '92
  • 2001: Loriq Charkoudian '95
  • 2000: Casey Trupin '95
  • 1999: Karin Zaugg '93
  • 1998: Ed Tessier '91
  • 1997: Martina Vandenberg '90
  • 1996: Gretchen Berland '86

The Faculty Alumni Service Award

Started in 2012, the Faculty Alumni Service Award honors faculty "in recognition of exemplary service to the alumni association over a period of years." 

Faculty Alumni Service Award Winner

2023: Donna Di Grazia

Past Recipients

  • 2018: Lorn Foster
  • 2017: Shahriar Shahriari
  • 2016: Frank Pericolosi
  • 2015: Char Miller
  • 2014: Ken Wolf
  • 2013: Monique Saigal
  • 2012: Jonathan Wright